The figures on this page are general estimates. Laws, fees, thresholds, and prices differ by state and change often, and your own situation may change the result. Before you act, confirm the current numbers and rules for Kansas with a licensed professional — an attorney, tax advisor, or licensed agent as appropriate. Reading this page does not create a professional relationship.
This page is built to print. Use your browser's Print command and choose "Save as PDF" for a one-page Kansas reference. Every figure below is compiled from the statutes and state authorities listed at the bottom — the same sources cited on our Kansas probate pages.
Kansas probate fees
| Item | Kansas |
|---|---|
| Court filing fee | $109.50 to open a probate case. K.S.A. 59-104(a)(1) sets the docket fee for “probate of an estate or of a will” at $109.50. The same section provides that the docket fee “shall be the only fee collected” and may be established “only by an act of the legislature,” so it does not vary by county. Separately, 59-104(a)(2) lets the Kansas Supreme Court impose an additional charge of up to $22 per docket fee to fund the costs of non-judicial personnel; 2026 House Bill 2393, signed by the Governor, extends that authority through June 30, 2030. Where the Supreme Court imposes the full charge the total is $131.50 — we have not read the Supreme Court order setting the current amount. The statute text published by the Revisor of Statutes and by the Legislature still shows the earlier sunset of June 30, 2025, which is why older sources differ. Other probate docket fees under 59-104(a)(1): determination of descent of property $49.50; refusal to grant letters of administration $48.50; filing a will and affidavit under K.S.A. 59-618a $48.50; certified probate proceedings under K.S.A. 59-213 $23.50; decrees in probate from another state $173.00. |
| Attorney fees | Not statutory. Under K.S.A. §59-1717 the court allows fees that are 'just and reasonable' based on the time, effort, and complexity involved. There is no percentage schedule; attorneys generally bill a flat fee or hourly. |
| Executor / personal representative fees | K.S.A. §59-1717 also governs the executor or administrator: compensation is whatever is 'just and reasonable,' not a fixed percentage. Family fiduciaries often waive the fee. |
| Fee basis | reasonable |
| Appraisal / referee | Not used. Kansas does not appoint a state appraiser. The fiduciary files an inventory and valuation under K.S.A. §59-1201 and may retain appraisers where needed. |
Worked example
Kansas sets no percentage, so no worked example can be calculated from the statute: the probate court must approve what it finds just and reasonable for the work the estate required.
Kansas thresholds and deadlines
| Item | Kansas |
|---|---|
| Small-estate threshold | K.S.A. §59-1507b(a) applies where "the total assets of the estate of the decedent subject to probate do not exceed $75,000 in value", and then requires any person or entity holding personal property transferable to the estate to transfer it to a claiming successor on an affidavit of entitlement, without letters of administration or letters testamentary having been granted. The threshold is measured on total probate assets, not on personal property alone, though personal property is what the affidavit transfers. |
| Creditor claim period | A demand is forever barred unless presented within the later of four months from the date of first publication of the notice under K.S.A. §59-2236, or, for a creditor whose identity is known or reasonably ascertainable, 30 days after actual notice was given (K.S.A. §59-2239(1)). The same subsection adds a separate rule that is not a claim period: no creditor has any claim against or lien upon the decedent's property, other than liens existing at the date of death, unless a petition for probate of the will or for administration is filed within six months after the death. |
| Statutory floor (creditor period) | A demand is forever barred unless presented within the later of four months from the date of first publication of the notice under K.S.A. §59-2236, or, for a creditor whose identity is known or reasonably ascertainable, 30 days after actual notice was given (K.S.A. §59-2239(1)). The same subsection adds a separate rule that is not a claim period: no creditor has any claim against or lien upon the decedent's property, other than liens existing at the date of death, unless a petition for probate of the will or for administration is filed within six months after the death. |
| Transfer-on-death deed | K.S.A. §59-3501(a) provides that an interest in real estate may be titled in transfer-on-death form by recording a deed signed by the record owner designating a grantee beneficiary, that such a deed "shall transfer ownership of such interest upon the death of the owner", and that it "need not be supported by consideration". Under §59-3501(b) no signature, consent, agreement or notice to the grantee beneficiary is required during the record owner's lifetime. The section was enacted by L. 1997, ch. 176, §1; no claim about where that sits among the states is stated here, because no source for one was read. |
What passes outside Kansas probate
These transfers are not part of the estate the fees above are calculated on:
- Beneficiary designations — retirement accounts, life insurance, payable-on-death accounts.
- Joint ownership with right of survivorship.
- Transfer-on-death deed — K.S.A. §59-3501(a) provides that an interest in real estate may be titled in transfer-on-death form by recording a deed signed by the record owner designating a grantee beneficiary, that such a deed "shall transfer ownership of such interest upon the death of the owner", and that it "need not be supported by consideration". Under §59-3501(b) no signature, consent, agreement or notice to the grantee beneficiary is required during the record owner's lifetime. The section was enacted by L. 1997, ch. 176, §1; no claim about where that sits among the states is stated here, because no source for one was read.
- Assets titled into a funded living trust.
Sources for this sheet
- Statutes: K.S.A. §59-1717; K.S.A. §59-1507b; K.S.A. §59-2239; K.S.A. §59-3501
- State authority: Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes (Probate Code, Chapter 59)
- Small-estate threshold: https://www.kjc.ks.gov/legal-forms/small-estates-affidavit-k-s-a-59-1507b
- Transfer-on-death deed: https://ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch59/059_035_0001.html
- Attorney fees: https://ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch59/059_017_0017.html
- Court filing fees: https://ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch59/059_001_0004.html
Compiled August 15, 2026 from the sources listed above. Fee schedules, thresholds, and court costs are amended by legislatures and courts — confirm each figure against the cited statute or the Kansas court before relying on it.
The full Kansas guides
- How Much Does Probate Cost in Kansas? — the full cost breakdown.
- How Much Does an Executor Get Paid in Kansas? — the fee rule in detail.
- How Long Does Probate Take in Kansas? — the timeline and its statutory floor.
- Executor Deadlines in Kansas — inventory deadline, creditor-claim period and outer bar, each quoted from the statute.
- How to Avoid Probate in Kansas — the transfers that pass outside it.
- How Much Does a Will Cost in Kansas? — execution requirements and pricing.
Fee sheets for other states
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This sheet sets out Kansas probate figures as published at the time of compilation. It is not legal advice. Figures and statutes change and their application depends on the specific estate. Confirm current figures with the Kansas courts or a licensed Kansas attorney.